Gun show at Ag Center attracts record crowd

Published: Saturday, January 5, 2013 at 5:22 p.m.

Last Modified: Saturday, January 5, 2013 at 5:22 p.m.

FLETCHER -- Mike Kent has owned the Asheville Gun Show for 20 years, and Saturday was the first time he's seen potential buyers line up at 6:30 a.m. to enter the gates at 9.

“The crowds have increased at all of our shows since the election,” the veteran gun show organizer said as he stood outside the Western North Carolina Agricultural Center. Shoppers are buying more assault rifles and handguns for self-defense, Kent added.

Kent was manning the check-in table Saturday morning as guests pulled guns out of an assortment of bags, holsters and pockets before they entered the exhibition center.

People in line moved forward, checked in guns, paid admission and got a stamp that said, “Gun.”

Kent said a major reason for the increased traffic, aside from the re-election of President Barack Obama, is the national debate brought on by the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.

<p>FLETCHER -- Mike Kent has owned the Asheville Gun Show for 20 years, and Saturday was the first time he's seen potential buyers line up at 6:30 a.m. to enter the gates at 9. </p><p>“The crowds have increased at all of our shows since the election,” the veteran gun show organizer said as he stood outside the Western North Carolina Agricultural Center. Shoppers are buying more assault rifles and handguns for self-defense, Kent added.</p><p>Kent was manning the check-in table Saturday morning as guests pulled guns out of an assortment of bags, holsters and pockets before they entered the exhibition center.</p><p>People in line moved forward, checked in guns, paid admission and got a stamp that said, “Gun.”</p><p>Kent said a major reason for the increased traffic, aside from the re-election of President Barack Obama, is the national debate brought on by the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.</p><p>The idea that more gun control might prevent future mass shootings got Phil Flack fired up. Flack, owner of Asheville's PF Custom Guns, has operated his store since 1994.</p><p>“Politicians love to pick on (guns) instead of the real problem,” he said. “It's not the guns.”</p><p>Flack cited a recent statistic released by the FBI that shows that hammers and clubs kill more people annually than assault rifles. </p><p>Those sentiments were echoed by Hendersonville resident Eddie Holbert as he perused the different tables in search of hunting supplies and ammo.</p><p>“I don't believe it's the guns that kill people,” he said. “If they want to kill someone, they will find a way to do it.” As evidence, he pointed to the Oklahoma City bombing. </p><p>Some people attended the show to make political statements. The Asheville Tea Party had a booth and was raffling an AR-15 and a Magnum .22 handgun at noon in the parking lot. </p><p>But for others, the show was just a way to feed their interest in a hobby. </p><p>Hendersonville resident Zach Hubbard spent the morning looking for a deer rifle. “I like to shoot as a hobby,” he said. “I'm just a hunter.”</p><p>He wasn't oblivious to the large crowd, however, and admitted that the heated national debate was “probably driving a lot of it.”</p><p>No matter what reason brought the gun enthusiasts in, Kent, who has owned the Asheville Gun Show since 1994, said Saturday was the busiest opening day he's seen.</p><p>“This may be a record,” he said. </p><p>The show continues from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.</p><p>Reach Millwood at 828-694-7881 or joey.millwood@blueridgenow.com.</p>